Plastic Promises
by Katurz
Summary: Emily Taylor, one of Benjamin Barker's best friends as young kids, finds herself returning to Fleet Street. When he was little, Benjamin told her how he dreamed of becoming a barber. Now married and with one kid, Emily wants to see just what Mr. Barker has lived up too.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright, new fanfiction, new start, new confusing characters to remember.**

**I don't know if you'll like this one, but if you don't, well, let me know what you don't like about it!**

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Emily Taylor laces up her black boots almost perfectly against her white stockings on the couch.

"And how do you know that this- Barker still lives in London?"

Emily looks up at her husband for a second. "Richard, there are two kinds of men, one being a man who stays put in his proper place. Ben is one of those." She finishes tying her boots and flattens her blue dress over them. Then she stands up, coming face to face with Richard. She brushes the remains of his black hair from his face and observes the feelings in his sparkling blue eyes.

"I'd prefer you call him Benjamin…" he admits sheepishly.

"Don't get so jealous. He's a friend, no more." Emily licks her finger and brushes back a stubborn hair that won't stay in place. "There. Now, let's get going."

She grabs her suitcases and looks in the direction of Richard's things. Richard follows her gaze, gives a small smile and walks off to grab his stuff. Meanwhile, Emily walks outside their two-story cottage on the mountain side and breathes in the air. A few yards away, on the street, waits a midnight blue carriage.

Richard is soon next to her. They walk briskly together to their means of transportation. Richard hops in first and places both of their luggage on the seats opposite of where they'll be sitting. He then extends a hand to his wife.

Emily takes it gingerly and steps into the warmth of the carriage. She closes the door behind her and glances towards Richard before sweeping her brunette hair over her shoulder.

"I ought to be a year older by the time we get there," Richard remarks.

"Calm down, folks say three hours at the most." Emily looks at the fields sweeping past them through the window.

"I don't even see why you're going…"

"I've told you a billion times-"

"Yes I realize," Richard interrupts, shifting his body to face her. She peeks over her shoulder at him then turns back quickly to face the nature outside. "But you were four, he was eleven. Do you honestly expect-"

It is Emily's turn to interrupt. "I am very capable of seeing how childish the bet was, but I expect Mr. Barker to remember."

Richard stops there, seeing as he's probably made his wife aggravated. He tries to change the subject. "How do you suppose Angelica is doing?"

The girl, still a bit angry, answers quickly, "I believe the ride will be fine for her, do you think not?"

"I think she'll be fine with Miss Yeung, though she is a spinster, rather odd?"

"Are you suggesting that spinsters, in general, are a disgrace?" Emily twirls a lock of her hair while observing the world outside. She won't face her husband.

"No…" Richards cool hand brushes against his wife's neck.

"Then our daughter will be fine."

"Is everything I say wrong?"

Finally, Emily faces Richard. His lips are pressed together into a thin line of anger.

Emily purses her lips. "No, I just don't agree with everything you say."

Richard raises an eyebrow and speaks, "Makes me wonder how we ever agree on anything."

"You're the one that bloody married me!" Emily exclaims.

"I didn't mean-"

"Yes you did, Richard." She turns around and looks out the window drearily. A hand lands on her shoulder and strokes it gently.

"Let's not fight," Richard breathes.

"Then try and say the right things." Emily watches as sheep eat grass on the fields outside.

"I am, darling, but you have to help." His eyes bore a hole in the back of her neck. She faces him once again, shifting around completely in the carriage seat. "Okay?" he questions.

"Okay," Emily agrees. Richard brings her forehead towards him and kisses it softly. She smiles.

"I bet it won't be that bad, we're only there for a month," she reminds her husband as he quickly glances out the window longingly.

"A month is too long." Richard rubs his hands together while Emily leans her head on her shoulder.

The day is almost gone by the time the carriage arrives in the town of London. The sunset is just about to say its final goodnights before casting the world into darkness. Emily grabs her suitcases and hops out of the vehicle onto a cobblestone road and looks at the market around her.

"It's a lot gloomier than I remember," she mumbles, half dissatisfied. Richard is by her side, rubbing her shoulders affably.

"Let's find Angelica and then go find a place to stay," he whispers into her ear. Emily agrees to this, heaving her stuff behind her as they search the town together for their daughter. They find the girl huddled in a corner eating a stale piece of bread while hugging her teddy bear.

"Oh Angelica," Emily whines, dropping her stuff and tending to her daughter. She picks the six-year-old up in her arms and examines her dirty face.

"Spinsters…" Richard mutters under his breath and puts his things alongside his wife's. He then licks his fingers, takes his handkerchief out of his coat pocket and dabs at the dirt. It comes off easily, making Angelica's face look more like an old porcelain doll.

"You can ride with us on the way back to Surrey, okay sweetie?" Emily asks her, fixing the small purple dress her daughter wears. Angelica nods and buries her head into her mother's shoulder, hugging her teddy bear fiercely.

"Do you mind getting the stuff?" Emily points towards the suitcases. Richard takes a deep breath, picking up all the things. His muscles show through the brown overcoat he wears.

"Let's find a place quick, okay?" he tells them, starting off, passing the market ahead of them. Emily takes a quick look over her shoulder, balances Angelica on her arms and follows her husband. She looks at the towns around her as she walks. Everything is so quiet. People walk everywhere, but it's so quiet. No one is talking to each other, or even looking at anyone or anything but their own feet ahead of them. The buildings are dirty on the outside; the signs on most stores are wearing off and are hard to see.

They walk and walk until Emily stops her family at Fleet Street. "Let's trying and find a place to stay on this street, shall we?"

Richard nods approvingly, his eyes scanning every building he's come across. After a few yards, Emily stops at a familiar place.

"Mrs. Lovett's Meat Pies," she murmurs, feeling the name roll on her tongue. She hitches Angelica onto her shoulder. "I guess the daughter took over after her parents died," she wonders aloud.

"Yes, darling, can we get going now?" Richard almost topples over, carrying one suitcase on top of the other.

"Yeah- Yes. Take Angelica and go find a place to stay, I'm going to take a look around…" she trails off in her own thoughts while putting her daughter down on the ground. Angelica hugs her leg and then runs to her father.

"You are sure you'll be able to find us?" Richard inquires. Emily nods.

"Yes, of course." She watches her husband and Angelica traverse the streets together until they make a turn and disappear from her line of vision. The thirty-three year old ignores this and peers through a closed curtain or the Meat Pie shop, seeing a woman rolling dough with her hands. Everything inside looks dusty. At a table sits a man. A scary looking man with curly black hair. A white streak separates the black hair on the right side.

What the hell, she asks herself and opens the door. A little bell rings. The woman at the counter looks up at her. "A customer!" she exclaims, rushing over to her. Her red curly hair falls around her shoulders. The man at the table barely looks up at Emily.

"Oh no, I'm not here to buy anything, I'm searching for someone," Emily tells the woman, and she instantly backs off. The sentence catches the man's attention and he looks up at her for a second. A curious expression plays across his face, and Emily is forced to endure the pressing of his eyes studying her face.

"Yes, his name is Benjamin Barker, but if he's not here that's fine," she says.

The man instantly stands up. Emily turns to her left to get a full look at him. His pale skin almost reflects the gloominess outside. Other than his faded denim coat, he wears a dirty brown vest overtop an intricately designed cravat and a white puffy shirt.

"That man is long gone." His voice is dark, menacing, and malicious.

"I'm sorry to bother you then, sir. Do you have any idea where he went?" she asks, seeing as this man must know something about Benjamin to know that he's long gone.

"I will rephrase that, he's _dead._" He spits out the words malevolently, "Never coming back."

Emily nods her head, a tad disappointed. "I see, sorry to bother you then."

The man glares at her still, even when she turns around. When it seems like she's about to leave, he asks, "How do you know him?"

Emily whips around, glad to speak. "He was my, friend I guess one would call it, way back when. Benny used to always practice shaving me, though it was usually with a stick he found somewhere." She laughs remembering it. The woman that she first saw has disappeared through the other room, and now it was just her and the strange man. "Anyway, we made a bet. If he was a successful barber when he grew up, I would do anything he wanted. But he was eleven, so I doubt he remembers. And hearing he's dead, I guess I'll never know."

The man across from her looks down. Emily glances out the door, seeing people pass. She wonders how she'll find her husband and child. "I should probably go."

The man nods tightly. Emily gives one last look around the place before heading outside. When the door closes, she's sure she hears a string of cuss words followed by a crashing sound.

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**It was hard to end this. I was like: 'I need a strong ending...buuuuuuuut, I don't feel like rewriting part of it to make it strong..' so in the end it came down to me just being a lazy butt.**

**Alright well, if you want me to continue, let me know down there vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv**

**And if you don't like it, let me know what you don't like about it.**

**Thanks for reading anyway.**

***tips hat* 'Till next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I was supposed to upload a chapter for this a few days ago. But I've had some lung problems so I'm excused, right?**

**Thanks for the review and enjoy this chapter.**

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Richard is a few minutes' walk from the meat pie shop. Though the shop brings back memories, and Emily would enjoy getting as far away from it as she possibly could, she doesn't think to mention this to Richard as she walks into the lobby of the inn. The place is lighted with a few candles. A woman in a dress looks up from a counter at her.

"I'm looking for Richard Taylor?" she lets on nervously.

"The bloke with the kid?"

"Yes," Emily replies.

"Upstairs, first door on your left." The woman at the desk says and lifts a leather covered book in front of her face.

"Thanks," Emily whispers, hearing no response. She strides through the dim hallways until she meets the end of the first floor. An old wooden door opens on her right, and someone bumps into her.

"Mommy, mommy!"

Emily rubs her head and instantly stands up, seeing her daughter in front of her. "Oh Angelica, I am so sorry," she mumbles, kneeling in front of her child in the hallway. "Where's daddy?"

"Daddy's upstairs unpacking all of our clothes." Angelica hugs her mother. Emily wraps her arm around her and lifts her into the air, balancing her on her forearm.

"Well let's go back and visit your father," she tells her daughter, pushing open the wooden doors to the flight of stairs.

After reaching the top, she puts Angelica onto her feet. "What room? Do you remember?" she challengers.

Angelica giggles and runs over to the first door on the left, room 21.

"Good girl," Emily says, pecking her daughter's forehead. Angelica reaches up with her plump hand and reaches for the doorknob. She grabs it and turns the brass. The door slides open and Emily stares at her husband. Richard smiles, hanging her last dress in the closet.

"Welcome home," he says, walking over to her and kissing her cheek softly. "I see you have found Angelica."

Emily hugs her husband quickly and looks around the room. There are three beds, and one window. One bed is by the window at the far left of the room away from the door. The other two beds are pushed together with an end table on either side. Across the two beds is a door, probably leading to a bathroom. There are drawers between the two beds, and a closet filled with long dresses and short dresses across from the bed by the window.

"Alright, Angelica and I will take these two beds, you can sleep by yourself," Emily jokes and Richard frowns playfully.

"As long as you're happy." He trudges towards the lone bed and Angelica yells at him.

"No Daddy! You can take the bed with Mommy! I'm brave enough to sleep alone with Ted!" Ted is Angelica's name for her teddy bear. Richard stops in his tracks but doesn't turn around.

"Are you sure?" he asks, almost unheard.

Angelica runs and hugs his leg. "Yes Daddy!"

Richard looks over his shoulder at the girl and smiles brightly. He picks her up and looks at her.

"Alright then, you need to get into your sleeping gown and take a bath," he tells her, walking over to the closet. He takes out a silky short blue gown and leads Angelica towards the bathroom. "Do you need me to help you?"

"I can get a bath by myself, I'm a grown up girl."

"Okay honey," Richard kisses her nose and places her outside the bathroom door. Angelica grabs her gown out of her hands and runs inside, disappearing. Soon the married couple hears water starting to run.

"So how did it go?" Richard asks, sitting down on the double bed. Emily sits down next to him and sighs.

"Benjamin died," she lets on, frowning. Richard wraps an arm around her shoulder and pulls her closer.

"I'm sorry to hear that." He kisses the top of her head as Emily leans against his chest.

"I just wish we weren't staying here as long. What is there to do?" She lowers herself onto his lap as she starts hearing singing coming from the bathroom. It's the voice of a small female girl. Emily can't help but grin and feels Richard laugh. A hand strokes her neck.

"We have a beautiful daughter to entertain us. Maybe we can travel into town tomorrow." Richard's hand travels down her back, scratching it as Emily always has liked.

"Okay."

Angelica always has problems sleeping, and Richard and Emily usually switch off singing her a song every night. So while Richard undresses, Emily tucks Angelica in and sits on the edge of the bed.

"What song would you like?" Emily asks.

"Your bones," Angelica smiles brightly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Mommy!"

Emily sighs and tries to remember the lyrics while Richard chuckles a bit and slides under the covers on his bed.

"In the spring we made a boat," she starts, watching Angelica lean back against the pillow. "Out of feathers, out of bones."

The side of the room creaks a little. Shuffling comes from Richard's bed.

"We set fire to our homes, walking barefoot in the snow. Distant rhythm of the drum." Emily's mind drifts to Benjamin's smile when they were younger. She loved it when she made him laugh, even if he was seven years older than her. "As we drifted towards the storm." She would've hugged Benjamin so much he couldn't breathe if he remembered her. Of course, now she realizes he can't remember her. He's dead. "Baby lion lost his teeth." Best friend Benjamin lost his life, she thinks in her head while singing self-consciously. "Now they're swimming in the sea." Where is Benjamin buried?

She frowns and a tear falls down her cheek. The light is our, so no one can see her and Emily in thankful for that. Angelica shifts her legs, accidentally hitting Emily in the leg.

"Sorry Mommy," she whispers and Emily continues.

"Troubled spirits on my chest, where they laid to rest." She hopes Benjamin is resting peacefully. "The birds all left, my tall friend." All her friends are gone. "As your body hit the sand." How did he die? Was it an accident? "Million stars up in the sky."

Angelica's breathing becomes steady. Emily realizes she's sleeping and stands up, her black nightgown falling to her knees. She strokes the hair-line of her daughter's head once and then walks to her bed, where she climbs under the covers and moves close to Richard. His arm finds her waist and coils around it. Emily falls asleep next to him, silently crying.

The town is busy, mostly the market. People swarm everywhere. The sky is gray, like the previous day. Richard holds Angelica's hand and links his arm in Emily's. As they walk into an opening filled with wooden carts and other people, a drum sounds. Emily looks to her right, seeing a whole stage set up with a boy banging a drum. He puts the drum down and starts to sing something.

She pulls against her husband's arm and Richard follows her as the crowd around the boy singing grows. She finds her place in the crowd. A few minutes later, a man stands next to her. She glances over him quickly, realizing she just saw him the other day. The man with the white stripe. She looks away as he looks towards her. His gaze follows her every move for a moment and she tries not to be bothered.

Emily instead looks up at the stage. Pirelli's Miracle Elixir. Weird. The bottles look more like they're filled with piss. White stripe man notices this and shares his thoughts with the woman next to him.

"What is this?" he asks, inspecting the bottle. "Smells like piss, looks like piss. This is piss. Piss wif' ink."

Benjamin used to always make jokes like that. She looks at Richard, who glances down and her and smiles. Emily then looks at Angelica, who looks at the people around her, unsure of what to think. Richard kisses Emily's cheek as she focuses on what's going on on stage. The man named Pirelli has been summoned and is now rioting.

She looks to her left, seeing White stripe is gone. Seconds later she realizes he's at the front of the crowd, and says something to soft for Emily to hear. She only realizes what's happening when White stripe asks loudly, "Who's for a free shave?"

Richard's hand shoots up, and Emily looks at the ground. A second later, Richard is walking away from her. She grabs his wrist and feels Angelica grab her free arm.

"Receiving a shave, dear, I won't be long," Richard tells her, grinning. Emily let's go of him and watches as he walks onto the stage, sitting down in White stripe's chair. The man stops halfway up the stairs, glancing around.

"Will Beadle Bamford be the judge?" he asks aloud.

"Glad as always," a man says. Emily recognizes that name. Beadle. Someone from her old life, probably. Maybe one of Benjamin and her friends.

"Ready?" Beadle asks.

"Ready," Pirelli says in a thick accent.

White stripe mutters, "Ready."

"The fastest, _smoothest _shave, is the winner." Beadle blows a whistle and almost instantly Pirelli begins singing a song while White stripe readies himself. Emily grips Angelica's hand and watch as Richard sits quietly, waiting.

She gathers herself, as Angelica pulls on the hem of her dress. Emily grabs her daughter's hands and knees down next to her. "What Angelica?" she asks.

Angelica looks away quickly, and then looks back at her mother. Emily swallows and stands back up.

"And the winner, is Todd!" Beadle says.

Emily raises her eyebrows. Richard licks his lips and feels his smooth face before thanking the man named Todd and walking down into the audience back towards Emily. Emily has to wonder, is his first name Todd, or is that his last name? She ignores it and hugs her husband, feeling no whiskers against her cheek this time. Her bends down to Angelica and hugs her.

"Shall we go now?" Richard asks his wife, picking Angelica up and kisses her lips quickly.

"Yes." She forces a smile. As they walk throughout the crowd, she looks over her shoulder, seeing Todd staring at her, almost longingly.

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**Well, I hope you liked the chapter.**

**Lemme know what you think in the box below this vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv**

**It'll make my day.**

**Plus it's Johnny Depp's birthday so do it for him too.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm not going to write much here since I need to get to sleep.**

**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWWW~**

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Emily walks quickly back to the house, while Richard decides to tour the town with Emily.

She walks into the lobby and the person at the desk looks at her. "Oh miss!" she calls as Emily passes her.

She walks backwards to the girl at the desk. "Yes?" she asks.

"You've received a letter," the woman says, handing Emily a small white envelope. Emily plucks it out of the woman's hands, and mumbles a thanks.

She walks hurriedly to the stairs, which she climbs.

When she reaches her room, she unlocks it and falls onto the bed, peeling the envelope back and sliding the actual letter out. She unfolds it. It's a man's handwriting.

_Dear Emily,_

_It seems to silly writing over this old thing, but considering you actually came…I saw you. And aren't you beautiful, all grown up._

_Anyway, I've had this letter since the day we made that promise and I figured I'd sent it to you._

The handwriting turns into a small kid's.

_Emily, if you're reading this, that means sometime in the future, at whatever date we picked, you actually showed up. The other letter I would've sent to whoever knew you and they would've gotten it to you somehow. That one goes on about how I would slit your throat as a barber when I grow up if you didn't come._

_That's rather violent isn't it? I think it is. Sorry about that, I shall cross that out as a mistake. Dearest apologies._

Emily imagines Benjamin writing this as a young kid. Is he alive?

_Anyway, thanks for coming. I probably hugged you already. You are so young right now, about five or so. I'm watching you walk around half-naked and trying to not laugh. But Emily, I hope you get this when you grow up. I hope you're there reading this in the future. Just the thought of that makes me smile with happiness. Thank you for coming. Thank you so much. You're five, Emily, but I love you already._

Different handwriting shows up, more mature.

_Hi Emily, it's me, Benjamin. I'm currently Twenty-two, married to a great person named Lucy who is withholding our child, which I shall name Emily. I will name it Emily, Lucy will name it Johanna. She likes that name. Johanna Emily Barker. Quite a nice rhyme, don't you think? I think so. My love, I hope to see you soon. I bet you've grown up an elegant woman. And maybe you're married. Maybe you have a kid on your own. Though it'd be nice to imagine your kid being mine…_

There's a few spaces and then more writing, this time rough and hard to read. Emily squints.

_Emily, I can't stop. I need to write to you. I have only you to write to. Who knows what the judge did with my wife, Emily. And my daughter. Sent away on a false charge. A false charge! Because that little bastard fell in love with my wife. My wife! Emily, I can feel my old self slipping away day by day. The work- it's hard. The beatings, they change me. I'm sorry, Emily, by now my old self is dead._

The letter ends. Three different time periods. The letter trembles in Emily hands and she lets it drop onto her knees. He named his child after her. He wrote to her while serving in a hell. His life is a hell.

Her throat tightens with a knot as she struggles to hold back memories. The hell she'd been through. He'd been through it…she lets a tear fall loose. She needs to hug him, to feel his skin move beneath her. But he's dead. Or half-dead at least. She wonders if he'd even want to be her friend. If he'd even dare to step near her. The thought makes her cringe.

Benjamin, _her _Benjamin, sent away to a living hell on a false charge. While he had a wife. While he had a child. What kind of man would do this? A judge? A bloody old judge? Emily rips the letter in half and takes deep shagged breaths.

She can't let her temper get in the way now. No, that would bring back her past and she would disintegrate into a monster. She can't remember. Emily calms herself by rubbing her temples softly. Benjamin is alive, be happy for that, she tells herself.

Benjamin is alive.

The words don't mean anything to her, they taste sour on her tongue. Benjamin is alive and let her believe he was dead. But he didn't tell her. Todd did. Did Todd mean it metaphorically? Emily chews on the side of her cheek, thinking everything through.

She should leave.

It's the thought that first pops into the front of her head. She should leave, go back to the cottage with Richard and Angelica. The wall blocking out her past is breaking.

She feels a migraine coming on and almost screams. She needs to get out of this room. Trying to be quiet, Emily half-runs, half-limps out of the room, down the stairs, and past the judgmental looks from the woman at the desk. She hurries down the street, feeling eyes glance on her, at her hands clutched to her forehead in attempts to stay alive. In attempts to not fall over. The cobblestone is wobbly beneath Emily's feet.

The migraine gets worse. She tried so hard. So hard to forget. To forget everything. She tried for so long to pretend like it was all a terrible nightmare. And it worked. It had worked. Emily reaches out for a shadow in front of her, feeling nothing but air. She stumbles further to God knows where. She needs to find Richard.

The migraine almost takes over her head. Emily gasps hysterically, as pictures flood into her brain.

_The whips._

_The work._

_The rape._

_The awful sound of children yelling in fear. _

_Screaming for help._

_And he found her as a three year old. And he risked his life to rescue her._

"Benja-" But Emily can't finish the sentence. She stops walking, stops breathing. He risked his life for a kid that was good enough as dead. She smiles, then falls, waiting for the ground to collide with her face. But it doesn't. Someone catches her. She closes her eyes, feeling someone heave her into their arms, the gentle sound of padding feet hushes her to sleep.

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**Wow she just went full out hysteria, didn't she.**

**That's what happens to someone with terrible, terrible memories...I guess. **

**Review please. Who do you think caught her?**


	4. Chapter 4

**First day of summer vacation, yayyyy.**

**I'd like to thank Courtney, Mimi9516, and Guest for reviewing**

**Enjoy this chapter**

**If anything is unclear- In chapter 3 it is supposed to say at nine years old, not three.**

**Also, Benjamin was the son of Emily's mom's best friend, so they knew each other since birth. Benjamin is 7 years older than Emily, and when Emily turned nine her mom left her with a new babysitter, who kidnapped her and brought her to the place described down below vvvv then Benjamin rescues her and so on.**

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_The sound of waves crashing fills Emily's ears. Her eyes snap open, expecting to find herself somewhere happy, but instead, she's next to the ocean on the ground, her arm bleeding with an open cut. She screams, but it comes out as a cry, considering she is only seven. _

_An arm coils around her waist and she tries to scream again, but something is thrust into her mouth and she tries to stay quiet as the person behind her drags her into a building. People screaming, mostly young kids, make her stand on alert. The screams of children like her. She is surrounded by bars, with kids in rags in them, reaching out to maybe grab her pale hand, but they aren't quick enough and someone whips them from behind the bars. The kids scream out in pain. They look her age, except skinnier and dirtier. _

_The person behind her drags Emily into a corridor with more kids. She is then thrown into a cell and bars are closed behind her. Her eyes stare up into a sinister smile. The man in front of her yells out, "Hey boys! We got ourselves a pretty one." He strokes her face through the bars and whispers, "You're mine." He then walks away, down the corridor. A few minutes later, Emily hears the sound of a door shutting._

_Six years pass, six years of sheer terror and torture. It is like being in hell. Emily's arms are bruised and she develops a snapping tick._

_The watch guard opens the bars and slides her a bowl of soup. He walks into the concrete room and sits next to her. The shadow blocks his face._

_"Emily," he whispers and she looks at him more carefully. A watch guard, talking to her? It's strange, but comforting at the same time. His arms wrap around her body and pull her to his chest. His hands gently stroke her hair. After a few minutes, he talks again. "It's me, Benjamin."_

_Emily leans away, bewildered. The same Benjamin that was there when they took her? He smiles at her brightly, and she sees his face. His perfect cheekbones. The brown hair that falls just below his hairline and the brown orbs that say _I'm so glad I found you.

_"Benny?" she repeats, clawing at the soup because of her parched throat. Benjamin slides it next to her and watches her gulp the strange substance down._

_"I am here to free you from this perdition," he says in a heroic voice. Emily smiles for maybe the first time in six years. Benjamin beams and kisses the top of her head. Emily feels herself blush._

_"Alright, come on," he tells her, grabbing her wrist. She wobbles on her legs, and Benjamin decides to carry her princess style. He runs down the corridor, and Emily glances at all the other children, some curled in the corner. They were her friends for the past three years. Her best friend being the boy in the cell next to her named Richard._

_"We need to get him," she mumbles weakly into Benjamin's chest, pointing at the cell where Richard lies. He seems to hesitate for a minute before going to the cell and reaching towards his belt where he finds a bunch of keys. After trying a few, the bars open and Richard crawls out. He doesn't seem well enough to walk and for a moment, Emily realizes Benjamin should be carrying him, but Richard murmurs something about jogging next to them, and that's exactly what he does._

Emily wakes up, gasping for air as if she was just drowning. A cold cloth is placed on her forehead and for a few seconds she is blinded by the bright light in the room. Is she in a room? Or is she outside where she…fainted? She strains her eyes, following the hand pressing the cloth onto her head to a man with the white-stripe.

"Todd…" she mutters and the man averts his eyes.

"How do you know my name?" he asks, though all Emily is thinking about is why is he helping her?

"At the barber thing." She coughs, feeling the headache slowly disbanding in the presence of the man.

"You were there?" he questions, taking the cloth off her head and handing her a glass of water. She sits up on the sofa she was laid on and swallows the cool liquid.

"Yes, you're a fine barber. That was my husband you shaved."

Todd looks away quickly out the window. "Was it?"

"Yes," Emily says, "I'm sure you'll see him again in the next month or so."

"Are you staying long?"

Emily bites her lower lip as the man places the cloth back on her head. He looks like he wouldn't want to talk to anybody, but then again, you shan't judge a book by its cover.

"Yes, for a month-the man I was asking you about earlier, Benjamin, I was planning on meeting him and spending a month with him, but as you said, he's long gone." She catches his glance and peers into his dark brown eyes. They're cold and uninviting, but they seem to be inviting her in.

"Shame," he murmurs as Emily leans back again onto the sofa. Todd shuffles closer to keep the towel on her forehead.

"I suppose it is. But I'm sure there's plenty to do, go to the river, maybe a carriage drive down by the sea," she thinks aloud.

A grunt comes from the man. She decides to change the subject, "is your first name Todd?"

"No," he says, "It's Sweeney. Sweeney Todd."

"I guess it has a ring to it." She stops talking as thoughts sweep through her mind.

_He grabs her arm, yanking her out of her cell into a room of crowded men. Other girls stare at her in complete sympathy. The man lifts the rag of a shirt from her body._

"Emily." Sweeney shakes her by her shoulder a bit as Emily opens her eyes again.

"Sorry, it's been a rough day." She rubs her head, feeling it burning up. She gestures towards the cloth, which is on her head in a few seconds. "How do you know my name?" Her suspicions are raised.

Sweeney stiffens where he kneels and licks his lips, his brow furrowing. "Your husband was talking about you during the shave," he replies, "he said 'my wife Emily must think I'm crazy for doing this.'"

Emily lowers her suspicions but is still on alert. "Okay, okay."

Sweeney's brow lightens, but his lips are still pressed in a thin line as he wipes the sweat from Emily's forehead.

"I will be right back." He stands up with the cloth in his hand and walks out of the room, while Emily looks around. Is it a living room? There's two chairs opposite of the sofa. A coffee table separates both of them. To her right is a hallway with stairs leading up to who knows where. A mantle rests to her left, just above a fire place. The things on top of the mantle catches her eye. There's pictures everywhere. She stands up weakly to examine them.

Most of them are pictures of a man and a woman holding a baby in their arms. Emily squints to get a better look at the man. Brown hair, brown eyes, same facial features. Though the hair is a bit longer, it's simple to tell that the man in the picture is Benjamin Barker. Emily looks at the other woman. She must be Lucy. And the child. That beautiful child. That must be Johanna Emily Barker. She frowns. He built a life.

After he rescued her and she went to the orphanage with Richard in some far off place in Europe, he built a family. A family that she wasn't and still isn't included in. Her eyes threaten to tear, but she doesn't. She's such a cry baby. Instead, she focuses on the woman. She's beautiful, probably more than Emily if she does say so herself.

Emily hears footsteps, and fast walks back to the sofa, where she lies down again and pretends to be looking at the intricate design of the wallpaper.

Sweeney walks in with a newly soaked cloth and takes one look at her. He then looks at the pictures by the mantle and says vacantly, "You've been crying."

* * *

**Did you guys like it?**

**Review and let me know and free hugs from Sweeney. Or something along those lines...**

**Alright I'll give you guys some questions so you have something to say;**

**Do you think that Sweeney will tell Emily who he is?**

**How do you think Emily will feel when she figures it out?**

**and the question I always ask...**

**EmilyxSweeney or EmilyxRichard?**

**I may not post another chapter in a few days or maybe a week, but I may post another one tomorrow, I don't know. Summer is pretty much unpredictable. But keep your eyes on those notifications ;D**


	5. Chapter 5

**I feel so bad I haven't uploaded in so long and this chapter is so short but summer has been busier than school honestly...**

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Emily looks away from Sweeney, embarrassed that someone she just met is seeing her cry.

"I guess it comes with a mental breakdown," she says, half smiling. Sweeney's expression doesn't change and he continues to stare at the pictures while Emily glances around the room.

"You knew Benjamin well?" he asks a few minutes later when it seemed like he wasn't going to talk at all. Emily is focused on the ground, so when he talks, she looks up and meets his undying gaze.

"He was my best friend," she replies in a sad voice. "Saved my life many a times." Sweeney nods empathetically and glares at Emily with a peculiar look.

"Did he love you?"

The one question stuns the girl. She doesn't know how to answer. It'd be wrong for him to love her, even now when she is older. Their age difference is great. But she feels like he would do anything for her, so she decides to answer honestly.

She parts her lips and speaks, "I believe he did as he got older. More of a sister, family kind of love though, I think. He was way older than me and I think it'd be wrong if he fancied me."

"Do you fear age difference?"

"I fear not, but it would be frowned upon by many."

Sweeney takes it in, then asks yet another question. "And you love your husband?"

"Richard was my friend for a long time. He met Benjamin, as well and I think that's the only reason he agreed to let me come here." Emily rubs her hands between her legs innocently. She is tired and wants to go home to Richard.

"And you have a daughter, as well?"

"Listen, I'm kind of getting tired, and I don't know you. I do not mean to say you come off as a strange person; but I'd rather not talk to someone I don't know well openly about my daughter." Emily feels bad as soon as she says it. This man attracts her for some odd reason and she's afraid now that she'd said those words, he wouldn't talk to her any longer.

"I understand," Mr. Todd's voice came low and almost sad and disappointing. "I will show you the way out. I presume you know how to get back to your own house?"

"I am residing in an inn, by the way," Emily reminds him as she stands up and follows Sweeney outside. He nods tightly, like usual and she smiles.

"I'll see you again soon, Mr. T," she says quietly, about to turn into the other direction.

"Sweeney," the barber tells her, as her footsteps soon fade into the distance.

Emily reaches her own apartment sometime around five. Richard is on the bed with ruffled hair. He stares at her as she enters.

"Hi," she says, sitting down on the bed next to him, glancing over at Angelica who lies in her bed playing with her teddy.

Richard glances over at her, "Where were you?"

"I was out, meeting old friends," she lies.

"Like?"

"Sweeney, the man who gave you a shave."

"I thought he just moved here," he says.

"Used to live here when we were younger," she replies and scratches the back of her neck. In excitement of the lies, she adds, "he used to know Benjamin and me."

"Did he now?" Richard asks and stands up. He kneels down on the ground in front of her.

"Emily, you know I love you. Please do not lie to me," he glances over at Angelica, who has rolled over by now, napping. "Anything you say you can say to me." Richard grabs Emily's hand and kisses it lightly, then holds it in both hands under her chin.

"I am sorry," Emily mumbles to him and stands up. She sits next to him on the floor and kisses his forehead lightly. "The dreams have come back."

"What?" Richard remarks, his eyes slightly wondering across her face.

She nods, "I was walking around after receiving a note from an old friend and the dreams came back. I passed out and I guess Sweeney Todd saw me in need of dire help. He grabbed me and helped me, I'm thankful he was there."

Richard swallows and kisses Emily's hand again. "Let me know if this happens again." Emily smiles.

"No problem," she says and the walks to the door. "We should probably get some dinner for Angelica. I'm not all that hungry, to be honest."

"I'll be right back, then." Richard grabs a coat off the bed and heads out the door while Emily waits. Once he's gone she lies on the bed and runs her fingers through her hair. The letter is on the bureau, still wide open. Maybe Richard read it, what could he have thought of it? It made it should like she was practically cheating on him with another man completely.

Plus it meant that she is lying to him about whether Benjamin is alive or not. She sighs. A small hand lands on her arm. Emily opens her arms and sees Angelica trying to climb up onto the bed. She makes it up and curls against her mother.

"Don't cry, mummy," she whispers to Emily.

"I am not crying," Emily says sharply, but reaching up to her eyes allows her to realize that yes, she is indeed crying.

"Don't cry," Angelica repeats.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. **

**Don't forget to leave me a note down in that little box thingy vvvvvvv**

**I'd really appreciate it~**


	6. Chapter 6

**This is not edited, I swear. There are probably a shitton of mistakes in here and well. I have no interest in fixing them. So enjoy~**

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Emily stares off into the distance, hearing Richard's feet in the hall. She tucks Angelica back into her bed and pulls the covers up to her chin. Angelica smiles and closes her eyes.

"Me and daddy will be right outside," Emily says, and heads outside, where Richard's attention automatically swivels towards his wife. He stops pacing.

"So you were lying," Richard deducts. Emily shakes her head quickly.

"I just got the note today and I couldn't really come to you," she says honestly.

"But he was in love with you! And you said he was just a friend. He was writing to you while I was married to you, wasn't her?"

Emily shakes her head again, nervously looking at the doors down the hall, hoping no one peeks out. "No, I didn't know he wrote those until earlier, I swear, Richard."

Richard nods and swallows, "when I catch him… he was in love with you when you were thirteen and he was twenty! He's a pedophile! He deserves to be sent away."

Bits of the letter work their way into Emily's mind, how he was sent away on a false charge already. "Richard…" Emily says in a low voice.

Her husband stands directly across from her. "Yes?"

"Richard, I don't even know what he'll look like anymore…"

"I will find him."

Emily doesn't want him to find Benjamin. Who knows what he'll do to her old friend. "You won't."

"Doubting me?" Richard takes a step towards Emily. Emily steps back. "Em, I want to find him, and I will." Then he cups her head in her hands and looks into her eyes. "Don't you?"

"I do, but I don't want to send him away…again."

"Again? What do you mean again?"

"He was sent away on a false trial already, it said so in the letters," Emily whispers as Richard's hand grasp her head tighter.

"For Christ's sake, Emily. He is a pedophile."

"No he isn't, he is my friend."

Richard stares at Emily in a state of confusion. "Emily…"

"He saved you and I, Richard. We would both be dead without him."

"You are not allowed to bring this-"

"Richard, but it is true!" Emily shouts, "You would be dead. So would I. If he had said no to rescuing you, and just me, Angelica wouldn't have existed, we wouldn't be married. He helped shape my life and I wouldn't have it any other way! Can't you just be grateful to him for that at least?"

Emily's husband nods slowly, digesting the information. At last, he sighs. "Okay. You're right." He let's go of Emily's face and rubs his thumb across her cheek. "You are most definitely right, my dear." Then Richard proceeds to give her a soft kiss. "I am sorry."

Emily nods tightly, "I supposed so," she mutters and walks back into the bedroom where she crawls under the covers. A minute later, Richard appears and falls asleep next to her.

_Gray walls surround her, she sits on a small bed, looking at Richard while Benjamin tends to him, carefully stitching him up with a needle and string. She had been sitting there for hours. First Benjamin tended to her wounds, getting snow from outside and pressing it against the bruises and cuts on her legs, then taking his shirt and cutting it into pieces to fit onto her arm to cover the gashes._

_After he got out of the horrible abattoir, Benjamin had taken them for miles in a carriage that he drove to some place she didn't know about. In the car she leaned against Richard, who hugged her and kept whispering "It's alright." Richard at that time was fifteen. She drifted in and out of sleep, aware that no one could hurt her now if she wanted to sleep instead of keep her bloodshot eyes open. That had taken awhile. Once they got out of the carriage, they were in a winter wonderland of falling snow and what looked like London. Benjamin once again carried Emily while Richard trailed slowly behind upstairs to a small secluded area above a meat pie shop. The walls were gray, and a big window watched over there._

_That was when he tended to their wounds, which had taken another hour or three. When he was done he walked over to Emily's bed and stared at her._

_"Are you okay?" he asked, holding her hands in his own._

_Emily nodded quickly and he engulfed her in a hug. That hug lasted a few minutes before Richard coughed on purpose, and then limped over to where Emily was._

_"Thanks for rescuing us," he said hoarsely and kissed Emily for the first time to show his apparent attraction and possessiveness. Emily was just as surprised as Benjamin looked. She tried to keep in a smile. Benjamin himself raised both eyebrows and tried not to smile at it. _

_"Benny, can we have some water?" Emily asked quietly. Benjamin nodded and took off out of the room, leaving Richard and Emily alone where they talked about what the hell just happened._

When Emily wakes up, she hears the soft voice of Richard talking to Angelica. Her eyes crack open, seeing a slither of daylight coming in through the window, and Angelica whimpering. She sits up halfway, leaning onto her shoulders. "What happened?" she asks quietly, blinking over and over again to get used to the light.

Richard's voice is immediate, "Someone broke in through the window overnight and gave Evangeline a raddle. I guess he scared her is all."

"Can I see the raddle?" Emily sits up all the way and uncovers herself. Richard reaches over to her and hands her a baby raddle. She covers her hand over her mouth. The raddle was small and wooden with silver shaped like a ball on top. Emily shook it. It raddled, beans rolling around and hitting the sides on the inside. She flips the thing over in her hand and then a small engraving on the side of the wood catches her eye.

_To Emily, From Benjamin_

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**__****Review for the cheesy twist ending! Thanks to all my reviewers who reviewed last chapter as well. Have a good day or nightt~**


	7. Chapter 7

**HI! I haven't updated in awhile but on the way to school I was listening to the Final Sequence for Sweeney Todd and BOOM, major inspiration.**

**Yeah. School started.**

**It sucks. **

**I'm sooo busy.**

**But I'm writing chapter 10 right now, so prepare for major updating. This is basically my favorite part of the fanfiction.**

**By the way, thanks for the reviews-**

**They mean so much, and let me tell you, they really do brighten up my day to know someone enjoys the stories I write.**

**-Mistakes everywhere since I didn't edit because I really need to sleep now-**

* * *

Emily tries to hide the engraving from Richard's eyes. This is her raddle that she got from Benjamin on Christmas.

"Do you know who would do such a thing?" Richard asks, wrapping his arm around Emily's waist. She shakes her head slowly at the question. She's told so many lies in the past few days. She wants to stop.

"Emily, tell the truth," he says slowly, leaning his head onto her shoulder and looking at Angelica.

"Benjamin could've. This is the raddle he gave to me, but he's dead or something so he couldn't have," Emily blurts out, turning her head to look at Richard's face, which was getting a bit stubby.

"Okay, maybe it was just some man who knew you were friends. It could just be a coincidence," Richard says. "In the morning I'll get someone to take a look at the window. Go back to sleep, I'll get Angelica to sleep again."

Emily follows his instructions and heads back to her bed in her nightgown, yawning the whole way to it. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light.

_"Emily! Put your dress back on!" Benny called from across the yard, heaving on all fours. That little girl sure did have a lot of energy._

_Emily, with her dress off and in nothing but her underwear, skipped across the newly cut lawn, smelling that same smell she always felt when she ran after the grass had been trimmed. It took a while for her mother to accomplish, but she got it done in time for Benny to come over._

_"Emily! Your mum will yell at me if she sees you like this," she heard Benny say, now running as fast as he could to catch her. She had too much energy to be able to caught._

_"You gotta catch me first Benny!" Emily said just as a big mass landed on her and toppled her to the ground. She lay on her back, looking at the twelve year old on top of her._

_She looked at the two little bumps on her bare chest. "What are these?" she asked, poking them._

_"My mum calls them something that starts with an n." he said, laughing and then getting off of her. Benjamin pulled her up by her hand. "Now go get dressed. If not, I will not be seeing you again for a bit."_

_"Yes, Benny," Emily said in an annoyed voice and headed for the front door of her house, where her dress was on the sidewalk._

The next morning Emily found herself travelling to Mrs. Lovett's Meat Pies. She never had a meat pie before. They sounded rather interesting. Maybe there's bits of chicken in it. That'd be delicious. Richard wanted Angelica and her out while he looked at the window with the local police.

"Angelica, we're here," Emily tells her daughter, who sleeps with her thumb in her mouth against her mother's shoulder. When she doesn't wake, Emily takes a step towards the pie shop and walks through the door, hearing a bell ring. The ring wakes Angelica up, who looks around with a bewildered look.

"Where are we mummy?" she asks. Mrs. Lovett is rolling dough on the counter and looks up at the little girl and the mother.

"Hello," she says, walking around the counter towards them. "Back so soon, are we?"

Emily smiles. "Yeah, the husband wanted me out of the house."

"I know how you feel." Mrs. Lovett glanced drearily up at the ceiling. Emily realizes she's referring to Mr. Todd.

"Are you two married?" she asks.

The baker shakes her head. "No, but sometimes he acts like one of those husbands that gets grumpy at everything you do."

"I know what you mean." Emily recalls the quarrel she had with Richard on the ride here. She zones out for a second. Angelica pulls a piece of her hair hard. Emily winces, but is otherwise quiet.

"We'll take a meat pie to split," she says, sitting Angelica down at one of the booths caked in dust.

"Ever had one before?" Mrs. Lovett questions. Emily says a quick no and sits down next to Angelica who continues to suck her thumb.

"Most people don't like 'em but you never know." A small plate with a fork and something looking like a biscuit is seated in front of Emily. She mumbles thank you, and cuts the pie into a small piece, bringing it to her own mouth. Mrs. Lovett watches as she chews. It's not bad, but it's not good.

"What kind of meat?" Emily asks.

"Pussy cat," Mrs. Lovett replies, leaning against the counter.

"I've never had that."

"And what be the verdict?"

"I don't like it." Emily swallows the piece unevenly. Mrs. Lovett disappears from the room and returns a second later with a small metal cup filled with water. Emily drinks it.

"As I said, most do not."

At that point there's a bang from upstairs and then the sound of someone coming down the stairs. Mr. Todd walks into the front of the pie shop, his eyes instantly landing on Emily, then Angelica, and finally, the meat pies. He shoots a glance at Mrs. Lovett who shrugs and walks over to Emily.

"Hello, Emily," he says.

"Hello, Mr. Todd," Emily says quietly, taking the last bit of water.

"Did you enjoy your…food?" he asks, sounding a bit revolted when he says the word food.

"Not really," Emily says honestly. Sweeney's sly eyes stare at Angelica.

"Your daughter?" he asks.

Emily nods.

"She looks like you."

"I get that all the time. But she has Richard's mouth," Emily objects and brushes back Angelica's hair with her fingers.

"Perhaps," Sweeney replies, pulling a razor out of his pocket and glancing at it for a bit.

"I should get going." Emily stands up and Sweeney puts his razor down suddenly, and stares at her.

"Why?"

Emily is taken back from the question. Why should he care? "Someone broke in," she says honestly and shrugs, "Richard will probably want us home."

"Maybe Angelica could stay here and you can go check," Sweeney suggests quietly. It almost is like he didn't want to ask.

The mother of the child grabs Angelica from the booth and hoists her up onto her shoulder, remembering how she was kidnapped. She remembers her mother asking someone to watch her while she got groceries when she was seven years old. Though she wasn't really old enough to remember, Emily remembers it like yesterday. She remembers Benny being the son of her mother's friend and taking care of her for the first seven years of her life before they took her. She snaps a few times, trying to think of the right thing to say. She felt like she trusted his man in front of her.

The barber glances at his hands, "Sorry, it was just a suggestion."

"Okay. I do not think today would be a good time for you to look after her. But Richard and I are going to the beach with our daughter tomorrow afternoon." Emily bit her tongue. Richard will kill her for asking.

Mrs. Lovett's attention was now gained.

"If both of you would like to tag along-"

"I would be obliged," Sweeney automatically responds. Mrs. Lovett offers a friendly smile. "Me too."

"I will come by with a carriage around eleven, then," Emily fakes a smile and heads out the door with Angelica, her thumb in her mouth.

"You invited this Todd man?" Richard demands, his arms crossed and his foot tapping.

"I thought it would be kind! He gave you a free shave and his friend gave me a free meat pie."

"But you said you didn't like the meat pie."

Emily sighs deeply. Richard is pissed. They stand in their apartment, Angelica taking a bath so she doesn't hear their arguing. They seem to be arguing more now-a-days.

"I am just trying to be nice," Emily says in a different attitude that tells Richard that she's trying hard to not break down. He walks over to her and gathers her in his arms, sitting down on the bed softly.

"I know," Richard says, stroking her hair. He wanted that day to be just for the three of them. But Emily seems to think differently. And even given that situation- he shouldn't be mad. He married her for many reasons, being friendly to everyone was one of them. "Tomorrow at eleven?" he confirms.

Emily nods into his chest. "Tomorrow at eleven."

* * *

**OKAY NOW BEFORE ANYONE POINTS THIS OUT I WANT TO SAY SOMETHING. I DO NOT WANT EMILY TO COME OFF AS A MARY-SUE JUST BECAUSE SWEENEY IS TAKING A LIKING TO HER. Now that I have your attention, I want to say this because people will probably say 'Oh, why does he suddenly lighten up around her if he doesn't around Mrs. Lovett'. This OC was an experiment basically. Sweeney feels safe around her because she cheered him up all the time as a child. He opens up around her because he feels something for her.**

**Imagine if Sweeney saw Lucy- and didn't kill her. He would be much more happier, correct? So I'm basically testing Emily. She was Sweeney's only friend as a child, and he liked her. So why can't he at least try to be happy or talk differently around her?**

**So yeah, now that that rant is over…**

**For the people that like Emily and Sweeney's relationship, I have a feeling you're going to enjoy the day at the beach. I'll say this. Sweeney moves in a little closer.**

**That's all I'm saying. I'll upload it tomorrow morning most likely. and pleaaaseeee**

**Revieww. c: If I get at least three, I might draw a picture of Sweeney for all to see~**


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